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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · pit · sharp · board · clip · hand · leaves · current

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. sharp — clever
  7. current — electric
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. current — happening now
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — for digging
  15. board — to get on
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. current — of water
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — a video
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. board — a committee

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com